Fairy King's Blessing

Have you ever walked in a park or so, listening to the wind, and it had sounded like music? Have you ever thought there was someone, like really small, playing in the bushes?

Well you are absolutely right.

There are fairies. Fairies love music and dance.

You cannot hear their music unless you're very quiet

You cannot see those small people unless you are very very lucky.

For fairies are usually shy, and they don't like humans. There are exceptions of course.

This is a story of a boy who was an exception. This is a story of a boy who was very very lucky.

His name was Ryuuji, Ryuuji Otogi. Maybe it was a coincidence that his surname meant 'fairy tale' or maybe it wasn't. Who knows.

Anyway this boy, he had a pretty face, gorgeous green eyes and black hair he liked to keep tied. And that summer morning he was walking in garden, a piece of cake stuffed in his back pocket, for his mom (the nicest mom alive) had baked a cake. Ryuuji was feeling happy.

Suddenly he heard music. He could swear it came from those bushes over there. Ryuuji frowned and walked there.

Ryuuji lifted up one leaf.

This was where the music had came from. Ryuuji blinked in confusion. There was small people. Dancing. Little people. In fancy clothes, like some kind of Lords and Ladies.

And there under another leaf were the players.

And there was some kind of a platform. There stood two white-haired figures dressed in blue and white. They were taller than the others, and they had wings. And they were holding pikes.

Guards, Ryuuji realized.

And what they were guarding sat between them on a throne made out of leaves.

He was a man with long silver hair. He was dressed in red and on his lap, like the best pet sat a tiny black spider. Suddenly man's head darted up and he stared at Ryuuji.

Ryuuji stared back at the tiny man, unsure what to do.

The man smiled brightly and clapped his hands together.

Immediately the lords and ladies stopped dancing as the music faded away.

"Look," said the man on the throne. "We have a visitor."

All the ladies and lord turned to stare at Ryuuji. The man continued smiling. But lords and ladies hissed and spit and said:

"Who dares to come before out king without a gift?"

"Who disrespects our King?"

Ryuuji blushed.

"I...." he stammered.

And the smile of the man's on the throne never faded. Like he didn't even realize what the Lord and ladies were saying.

Suddenly Ryuuji remembered the piece of cake in his back pocket. He reached out and put a little grumbled cake in front of the throne.

The Lord and Ladies stared at the piece hungrily. The man on the throne clasped his hands together again.

"How delightful!" he announced. "This is very kind of you, stranger. If I weren't a king I would bow down before you. Eat, eat!"

And the Lord and Ladies immediately attacked the cake, tearing little pieces out of it, and stuffing it into their little mouth. The two guards rolled their eyes at this pig-like behavior. But again the man on the throne didn't care. He smiled to Ryuuji and said:

"My name is Pegasus. What is yours?"

"I'm Ryuuji, Ryuuji Otogi. What are you?"

Pegasus shrugged.

"Fairies, fair people, lords and ladies. You may call me whatever you like."

"But you don't have wings," Ryuuji. "Only those two have." He pointed at the two guards who immediately stiffened.

Pegasus laughed.

"So the wings makes the fairies now?" he teased.

"I... I guess not, " Ryuuji frowned. "I think I've never seen you before."

Pegasus smiled.

"We're fairies! Of course you don't see us, if we don't feel like it!"

Ryuuji frowned.

"So.. if I left now.. would I still find you here?"

"Would you like to try your luck?" the fairy king asked.

Ryuuji stood up and glared at the fairies. Lords and ladies were smiling at him. The guards were eyeing him warily. And that weirdo, Pegasus was petting that little pet spider of his. Ryuuji spun around and took few steps away from the fairies. Then he looked over his shoulder, and the fairies were still there, staring at him.

"Will you be here tomorrow?" the boy asked.

Pegasus nodded.

Ryuuji walked away.

One of the guards turned to face Pegasus.

"How long are you going to let him see us?" he asked.

Pegasus leaned his chin on his hand and smiled.

"As long as he needs us."

The guard raised his eyebrows. Pegasus saw his disbelieving face and continued:

"What harm would letting him see us bring, Bakura?"

The white haired fairy humphed.

"He's a human, my king. A human!"

"I know very well what he is," Pegasus remarked

"He seemed like a nice person," said the other guard dreamily.

"Maybe you should listen to Ryou," Pegasus suggested.

"But.." Bakura opposed.

"No buts," Pegasus said and laughed. "I'll let him see us, as long as he needs it."

Ryuuji came back tomorrow. And he found Pegasus on the throne and the two guards still guarding. Lords and Ladies had gone away.

"Morning," Pegasus said. "I mght as well introduce you to my personal guards. This is Bakura and this is Ryou."

Ryuuji nodded to both guards.

"Where are the lords and ladies?" he asked.

"Who knows, " Pegasus shrugged. "They go where ever they want."

"And you go with them?" Ryuuji suggested.

But the guards shook their heads.

"The King cannot walk well," Bakura said.

"Why?" Ryuuji asked.

Ryou and Bakura glanced at each other. Pegasus between them was unusually quiet. Suddenly Ryou, flapping his wings, lifted to air and flied to Ryuuji.

"King had a Queen," Ryou told. "Every King must have a Queen. Our King's Queen was the beautifulest of them all. Cyndia was her name, our fairy queen. She and King were truly happy together, but oh then came that day.. that horrible day. Lady Cynthia was..."

Ryou inhaled sharply, like he was unable to continue.

"Lady Cynthia was..."

"...Found dead," continued Bakura, who too had flied to Ryou. "Her wings were ripped off, and she was left to die."

"Who did that?" Ryuuji asked.

"Humans, " Bakura spat, before spinning around wildly and flying back to his King.

"And from that day forward our King hasn't left his throne," Ryou said, flying slowly to the throne. He knelt in front of it and looked at Pegasus with his sad eyes. Next to him was Bakura, also knelt, brown eyes turned to skies.

"Maybe I could help?" Ryuuji asked. "Maybe I could take him to see the world."

Both guards looked at him, suspiciously. Pegasus smiled a dreamy smile, and said:

"I would like that."

So Ryuuji put his hands in a cup and lowered them in front of the throne. Bakura and Ryou helped the king up and into Ryuuji's hands.

"Take care of him," Bakura reminded.

"And have fun!" Ryou added.

Pegasus chuckled.

"So, Ryuuji, show me places!" Pegasus said and giggled.

And Ryuuji did. He showed Pegasus the field near their house. And he showed him his house. And he showed them his mother's strawberries. Ryuuji gave Pegasus one big strawberry. It was almost as big as the man itself, but the king ate it happily.

"Who is she?" Pegasus asked suddenly, licking strawberry off of his finger.

Ryuuji looked where the fairy king looked.

"She? She's my mom," He told.

Pegasus stared at the woman with thoughtful look on his face. Then he turned his brown eyes to Ryuuji.

With a swift motion of his hand he showed the boy that he wanted Ryuuji to lift him up. The boy did so. Now the fairy king was at the same level with Ryuuji's face. Suddenly he leaned forward and placed a kiss on the boy's cheek and whispered:

"Best of luck to you."

"What was that?! Ryuuji asked, rubbing the spot where the tiny man's lips had touched his skin.

But the fairy king spoke no more. With another hand motion he told Ryuuji that he should go back to his throne. And the brown, serious eyes were still fixed on Ryuuji's mom.

It is unusual of fairies to wish luck to humans. When fairies wish luck, they really mean it. And because they are magical, they really give luck to humans.

It is very unusual of fairies to bless humans. When human is under fairy's blessing, he is almost immortal.

That is why Ryuuji survived.

But her mom didn't.

Ryuuji lifted up the leaf.

"I know what you did," Ryuuji whispered. "You saved my life. Why didn't you save my mom's too?"

Ryuuji excepted to be greeted by cheerful shouts, laugh and clapping, but there was nothing, just silence. Ryuuji blinked.

Where lords and ladies used to dance was just a swarm of ants.

The guards, Bakura and Ryou were replaced by butterflies.

And there on the throne made out of leaves, where the fairy king used to be, sat the biggest snail Ryuuji had ever seen.

Ryuuji stared, his mouth opening slowly.

He had came to get answers form the fairy king. And he was facing a snail.

The look of disgust crossed Ryuuji's face. He slammed his fist in the middle of the ants. Panciking, they scattered away. With one swift motion, Ryuuji send the butterflies flying away.

It was just him and the snail.

"Get out of his chair," Ryuuji growled.

The snail didn't say anything. How could it? It was just snail.

"That chair does not belong to you. It belongs to Pegasus, the fairy king."

Snail didn't move, so Ryuuji lifted it up and threw it away. It hit the nearby three, it's shell cracking open, and all that was inside, dropping down to the Earth.

Ryuuji stared at the small throne, waiting for Pegasus to appear there, smiling.

But the throne remained empty, forevermore.

For humans truly cannot understand fairies.